On Thursday, March 10 at 8 p.m., the KarmetiK Machine Orchestra will inaugurate the new Machine Lab at The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts with an open house and musical demonstration.Meet the ‘Bots will feature the current line-up of robotic instruments and the premiere of NotomotoN—a new percussion robot. The event is free and open to the public. The CalArts campus is located at 24700 McBean Parkway in Valencia, California. For information call 661.253.7816.

A preview of music’s future, the The KarmetiK Machine Orchestra joins intriguing technological entertainment with practical applications of cutting edge research. The orchestra combines robots with human performers using digitally modified instruments and unique musical interfaces to create high-tech interpretations of traditional world music and original experimental compositions.

Commenting on the pioneering science behind the instruments, National Public Radio’s Laura Sydell noted, “Programming machines to make music isn't new; it's been around as long as player pianos have existed. But these robots are different: They've been programmed to improvise.”

Currently, Kapur and Darling are co-teaching the class, Robotic Design for Music & Media Applications—in which students design and build the next generation of robots to be unveiled at a concert extravaganza in May at CalArts.

CalArts is an acclaimed Los Angeles-area institution offering undergraduate and graduate programs in the visual and performing arts. The KarmetiK Machine Orchestra is a project of the Music Technology: Interaction, Intelligence and Design (MTIID) program at the Institute’s Herb Alpert School of Music and the School of Theater’s Technical Direction Program.